


Chlorine and Coffee Stains

by chlorineandcoffeestains (AdrenalineRevolver)



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Multi, Swim Team AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-05
Updated: 2013-04-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 08:52:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/708884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdrenalineRevolver/pseuds/chlorineandcoffeestains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras is captain of the swim team and might take it a bit to seriously. Courf starts a YouTube channel. Jehan loves Rocky Horror. Mont values his appearance more than he fears Enjolras. Feuilly needs to dull his tongue. Marius is in love with two girls that don't seem interested in anyone but each other. Com knows all. Joly doesn't trust the chlorine. Grantaire might make it his personal mission to disrupt practice as much as possible. Javert has something against the swim team's captain. And Valjean is possibly the best coach for them all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my lovely partner and girlfriend Sydney](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=my+lovely+partner+and+girlfriend+Sydney).



> Things you need to know about this chapter: ENJOLRAS AND COSETTE ARE TWINS ADOPTED BY TWO DIFFERENT FAMILIES.
> 
> This takes place before the main fic. I'm not sure if any of them will remember it later because it happens in the very beginning of their senior year of high school.

“Get in loser we’re going shopping!” Cosette yelled from outside.

Enjolras grabbed his messenger bag and slung it over one shoulder as he ran to jump in her car. With the top down he didn’t even have to open the door. “Took you long enough.” She smirked. 

“Yeah well Frenchie found his way into the garbage and I had to spend ten minutes trying to get egg out of labradoodle hair.” He slid on his sunglasses while as, if on cue, the dog barked from the front porch. 

“KEEP WATCH BABY!” Cosette called as she hit the gas. Thank god he’d already buckled up because she drove like a bat out of hell when you put her behind the wheel of her obnoxiously pink car. And by obnoxiously pink he means he knows for a fact that Barbie would be jealous. Enjolras had never owned a car. Didn’t need one, because, adorable flower sticker on the bumper and all, it was one of the best cars he’s ridden in. “There is this cute little vintage store that I saw the other day. I’m going to find you something that isn’t bright red.” 

Enjolras pretended to look insulted at the comment. “But red is-” He started. 

“A fantastic color! Passionate! Looks great on me!” She mimicked as they pulled up to the old store. (It was supposed to be a fifteen minute drive to get to the other side of town but judging by how Glenda just finished her high note on Dear Old Shiz they had almost cut the trip by half. He really needed to get her to slow down, he didn’t want to explain to her father how they had gotten a ticket without even leaving the city.)

Cosette practically skipped into Madeleine’s and Enjolras followed behind her while looking over the building. It was brick, obviously old, and the sign had discoloration due to the snows they get in the winter. It looked like it had been there since the town was built and it gave off the air that it always would be. No matter how run-down it’s outward appearance looked. It gave off feelings of warmth and homeyness despite the rough concrete steps and other features that would put most off. Enjolras could see why Cosette wanted to come so much the mall and her house where nice enough, clean and neat, but sometimes they seemed artificial Especially when compared to a place like this.

\---------------------------------------

Grantaire and Eponine spent more time than either of them would like to admit looking through old sweaters and vintage hats in old town. It had started out as something to get out of the house and now the small business owners knew the pair by name. Madeleine would even save them items she found, like today when they wandered in and she produced a green beanie and a worn out peacoat. 

“Madeleine!” Grantaire leaned on the counter and played with the scarfs, “Babe, have I told you how much I love you?” 

The older women just rolled her eyes and tutted at Eponine, “How on earth do you put up with him?” She jestered at the mess of gangling teen leaning on her counter. Grantaire, just now a senior in high school, had decided that wearing a kilt casually was 'in'. Eponine had not been able to talk him out of it.

Eponine just shrugged, she had been “putting up with him” so long she didn’t even notice Grantaire’s silly behavior. Her hair was cut short, a sharp bob just below her chin, and in her over-sized coat and combat boots, she had been mistaken as a boy more than once. Grantaire toyed with a hideous orange scarf. It clashed with his multicolored sweater and made Eponine flinch. “Do you really want to play that game” She glared at her friend. 

“Gladly,” he grinned back and Madeleine groaned. “Whatever disgusting things you find hidden in my store you will put back,” she gave them both a look that would kill and went back to sorting out earrings.

Eponine and Grantaire had set challenges for each other to keep the long shopping trips interesting. Neither of them had much money so they had found new ways to occupy time they did not want to spend at home. It was Eponine that started it, finding the most ridiculous hats to try on. Grantaire, competitive to the core tried to outdo her with god awful scarves and vests. Soon they were creating the most outrageous outfits they could and tearing up the shops in the process. Madeleine put up with their antics as long as they cleaned up afterward. Grantaire wouldn't admit he spent his Saturdays playing dress up with Eponine.

“The place isn't going anywhere you don’t have to rush!” The brunettes heard as an overly chipper young blonde opened the door. Her boyfriend must of been dragged with her. Her hair was done perfectly and she looked like something out of an American Eagle magazine. Lips bright pink, heels that almost looked too tall for her, skinny jeans that fit in all the right places. Her absurdly pretty boy-toy only heightened the effect.

“You lost?” Grantaire stared at the boyfriend in his Northface. He looked as out of place as the girl in their worn out shop. Clothes covered the walls and odd collections of nicknacks were on ever available surface, this was not what these two were looking for, they were looking for the mall and standard model wear. Eponine came twirling out of the dressing room with the largest sunhat Grantaire had ever seen but she stopped when she realized they were no longer alone in their little store

The boy just cocked an eyebrow. “You seem more lost than us, the women’s section is over there.” His girlfriend smacked him in the shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Grantaire just stared. Eponine could see his nostrils flare and she bit her lip. But honestly how could this pretentious asshole not know what a kilt was? 

”Excuse me?” Grantaire was incredulous and sarcasm dripped from every inch of his lanky frame. Eponine grabbed his arm, maybe it was time to leave. Pretty boy just shrugged. 

“It’s been great seeing you Madeleine! Come on R we have to get to auditions remember?” The last thing Ponine needed today was to break up a fight. Grantaire let himself be dragged out of the store while making as big a show about it as humanly possible. The blondes just cocked their heads to the side in creepy unison. “Break a leg!” Eponine heard the girl call sincerely. She nodded in thanks and shut the door behind them with a ding. Figures she was sweet, all of those end up with jerks.

\---------------------

Cosette turned to Enjolras with her mouth open. “You know what a kilt is you jerk!” 

The boy tried to feign innocence. “He started it!” She hit him in the shoulder lightly a second time. 

“That doesn’t mean you should take the bait! Maybe you could of gotten him to join your save the whales campaigns so he can get arrested instead of us!” Enjolras gave a dramatic sigh. 

“You break the head of campus security’s nose once as a child and they never forgive you.” 

Cosette laughed. “That and you caught his tie on fire.” 

The boy looked offended. “I gave the man fair warning. That wasn't even in protest that was a science experiment.” 

“Twice” 

“He’s a jack-ass. He said you where a spoiled brat.” 

The girl moved her sunglasses to pin back her hair. “You’re forgetting the part where I kind-of am. Or did you forget what we drove up in?” 

He threw her a skirt to try on. “ Doesn't mean he’s allowed to say it.” She cooed sickeningly. “Awww, aren't you the sweetest terrorist in the making.” 

\--------------------------

Eponine and Grantaire made a face at the Barbie mobile outside. “Someone escaped from the Dream House.” The kilt-clad boy sneered. 

“With any luck we won’t run into them again.” Eponine added. 

“Oh ye gods, don’t say that we’ll start seeing them everywhere! They’ll move right fucking next door if it depends on our luck!” The girl sighed. Grantaire had a point, if anything depended on luck they where screwed.


	2. Hello Internet - Courf here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Courf starts a YouTube career

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The university is on the outskirts of a small city area. There is a classic old town part, a poor area from which Eponine and R hail, and a rich neighborhood where Enjolras's house is. Its in the North East of America.

My name is Courfeyrac. I’m 19, in college and I just joined the swim team,” He leaned back in his chair and grinned at the camera. Why he had decided to start a YouTube channel, he had no idea, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. There really wasn’t much to vlog about though. He had only just arrived at college and his roommate hardly ever stuck around.

“Its an all boys team. The coach is this old professor with a daughter that just started here in my year. He has a son too. Cool kid. Both are adopted,” Courf stopped. This was boring. No one cared about coach Valjean. He should talk about the team. They were an interesting group.

“I need to show you guys the team. First off the captain. Man, that guy is way too serious about swimming. I think he thinks we are a DI team. I’m not even sure how he got elected team captain he just was. Think perfect person, tall, bonde, built, and hot. Its not human. Actually now that I’m in college there seem to be a lot of hot people, maybe its just my rose tinted glasses or the fact that I have not gone to school with them since their faces were more acne than skin, but damn there are hot people here.”

The door opened behind Courf and he glanced over to see his roommate, “R, come meet the internet!”

The other boy looked at him blankly, “I’m acquainted with it.”

“No, I mean my YouTube watchers, I’m trying to explain the team to them,” He turned back to the camera, “Meet my roommate, the ever absent R.”

R waved a hand at the camera and fell onto his bed face first, “If anyone, like our god-like slave driver asks, I’m not here. I died. And I’m never going to practice again.”

“His name is Enjolras and are you really that bad of a runner?” R looked up from the bed and glared at Courf. Enjolras had forced them to run this morning and his roommate had not been happy about it.

A muffled groan came from the bed where R had buried his head in a pillow, he raised it a bit to talk to Courf, “I can swim and dance, I am not meant to run, I am meant to be carried,” with that he dropped his head into the pillow again.

Courf grinned at the camera, “Internet, I shall introduce you to Enjolras and you can figure out who is the bigger princess. Our obsessive team captain or my pathetic roommate, R.”


	3. College Begins - R and Eponine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet R and Ponine

High school was a time of experiments. Hair, wardrobe, sexuality, some of it had turned out well for Grantaire and Eponine, other attempts, like Eponine shaving half her head, had been less successful. Grantaire was forbidden from bringing it up on pain of death, or further embarrassment with a reminder of his saggy jeans in the ninth grade.

Now in college, the kilt, according to Eponine, was still a mistake, but there was no way R was going to get rid of it. Eponine too clung to her combat boots, refusing to find a substitute footwear. Her hair had grown out from the pixie cut and then sharp syfy bob she had had senior year. Grantaire’s hair had also grown out in short. tight, curls.

He liked to wear it in a beanie, Eponine had a habit of stealing them though. They made an odd pair around campus. It was not as if they stood out among the waves of hispters and other young adults trying to remake their image. They simply stood apart.

Grantaire was too cynical for the art students and Eponine was too honest for the drama department. No sooner had Grantaire’s parents dropped him off, had he found his way to the classics and the humanities. Eponine had stolen his attention from Greek perfection with the siren call of the stage. It was her calling, her place to shine.

Eponine needed work. She was on a full ride, true, but spending money was a luxury she felt she deserved. She turned to the aquatic center and managed to score the job of lifeguard, years of experience speaking in her favor.

It was Eponine that gave Grantaire the idea to join the swim team. He had done extremely well in the sport at the high school level and their school swan DIII. R liked to be busy. It kept his mind from needing other stimulants. It kept him for losing himself in his own thoughts.

“You think this is a good idea?” R was stretched out on her bed. He had spent most of his time there in the past few weeks.

“Why not?” She played with their beast of a cat, Alister, on the cramped floor, “You like the sport and you’re good at it, plus its the first year the team has been around so you can make friends.”

Grantaire snorted at that, neither of them had been great at making friends, “Fine. But only if you try out for the school musical.”

“I’ll try out if you come with me.”

R groaned but agreed. He could never refuse Eponine anything.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some filler about R calling E out on some bullshit

“Grantaire. 200 Fly.” It was a challenge. Enjolras could read that much.

“Enjolras, sprinter. I know you from somewhere.”

“You told me to find the women’s section of my favorite store.” Back the Enjolras had looked like a pretty straight boy. R had to remind himself that the guy in front of him still did. But damn he was hot. He had thought that back then too. And now that the guy had grown a bit and filled out some, ok he needed to stop.

“Oh.” Enjolras cridged. He remembered that.

“So, team captain, shall we start fresh?” The boy was smirking at him.  
\-----  
The first week of practice was a disaster. At best. Valjean ignored the drama, pleased that he has a strong team full of evenly matched boys that covered the range a swim team should. He could leave the emotional side to Enjolras. 

It was a mistake.  
\-----  
Enjolras had come with the intention of making friends, or so he promise Cosette. It was just that he was SO busy he couldn’t stick around to hang out and he really didn’t support talking at practice so it wasn’t his fault really.

Grantaire had just decided he was a dick, most of the team was torn on the opinion.

It was Com, Enjolras’ roommate that convinced him to stick around a bit and get to know the team as they all went to eat after every practice together.

Boys tumbled into the dining center and staked out a table before going on the hunt for food. Enjolras watched the interactions feeling out of place.

It was Grantaire that came up beside him, “So the mighty Apollo graces us with his presence.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.” Enjolras scowled at him as he piled pasta on his plate. 

“I wish you would act more like a captain. I know coach picked you because you’re good and all, but you need to know your team a bit better.” R shrugged and headed to the pizza, Enjolras following close behind.

“What do you mean? I know all of your times.” 

R gave him a pitying look. “Com hasn’t kept you up to date with gossip I see.”

“Grantaire would you just spit it out?” Enjolras had no idea why the guy made him so annoyed.

“Oh lets see. You know Joly freaks out all the time, how could you miss it. Bahorel and Mont have been talking about fighting for a bit, nothing serious but they both want to prove something. Speaking of Mont, the bet is he and Jehan will sleep together within a month. Feuilly tags along to everything but never is involved. Courf is a flirt. Ummmm”

“Why does this matter?”

“Because you’re on the team. In fact, you’re our leader. You kinda should care about the people on it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this is going somewher


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becoming a true team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of this is 100% real stuff swim teams do

Cap Stealing.

“It is a rite of passage,” Courf slung an arm around Com who continued to glare at his teammate. 

“Its stealing,” he argued. 

Grantaire just shrugged, “Its fair game. Other team’s have ours, now we get even.”

The other boys in the group waited to see Com’s verdict. The boy sighed and looked annoyed, “Fine, I’ll do it. What team?”

Feuilly shouted in triumph and Courf slapped his friend on the back. “Nothing major for your first time. Bring us back a Sharks cap.”  
\-----  
There are holes in the bottom of drag suits

Enjolras always lead his team in stretches. They gathered on the side of the pool deck right after meet warm ups and tried to take up as little space as they could. Bahorel and   
Courf were chatting animatedly through the normal routine despite the fact that it was still only 6:20 in the morning. It was Joly who caught that Enjolras missed a stretch.

“Wait,” his teammate stopped Enjolras before he could stand, “you forgot butterfly.”

Enjolras had tried to avoid the topic but now the team was looking at him, “I’m not wearing anything under my drag suit, so we are skipping it today.” 

Courf nearly choked and then hurriedly tried to change the subject from the mesh box suit. Grantaire wiggled his eyebrows at Enjolras suggestively but the blonde captain maintained his straight face.   
\------  
Slip’n’slide

“There is no way this is safe,” Joly protested as Courf helped Bahorel cover R from head to toe in soap. 

“Joly, my good man,” Com took over--they were high off of the success of the day’s meet--and said, “Live a little.” 

“What on earth is going on here?” the dangerously calm voice came from behind. The boys turned to meet Enjolras’s leveling stare. Jehan hid behind Courf, who wasn’t that large himself. But Bahorel had already turned on the showers so Grantaire winked at his captain and went.   
Afterwards they would blame Marius on giving them the idea to turn the locker rooms into a slip’n’slide. The credit for finding out it worked and worked well went to Grantaire. The punishment set was given to the entire team. Everyone but Enjolras agreed it was worth it.  
\-----  
Overnights

Valjean never assigned rooms, letting the boys chose who they wished to share living spaces with for the trips, until the incidents from Courf’s rooms finally reached his ears.  
It was only after the boys decided to see what happened if they put Icy Hot on their balls, Grantaire burnt cookies in the microwave, Bahorel had rugburn and bruising from a wrestling match with Legs, Marius had tried to shave his legs dry, and Joly nearly burst into tears at the state of the bathroom that the boys were finally broken up into more manageable groups.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://www.swimoutlet.com/product_p/8094.htm  
> this is a mesh drag suit. it is very popular to just wear it and nothing under it


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interations

Feuilly was like a cat. All angles and sharp jabs at the others. Originally R had just written him off as an asshole but after a night at the bar with the slim boy he was inclined to reconsider. Feuilly was sharp true, but that was really his only defense. Other than Jehan, Feuilly might be the smallest on the team, with bright red hair cut short and a drastically pointed nose he was very aware of. It was Bahorel's idea to invite the haughty boy to go drinking with him, R, and Mont. It was the best choice they could have made. Four hours later an annoyed Mont was hold a raging Feuilly back and dragging the ginger away from the two frat idiots Feuilly had a come to a disagreement with. Bahorel and R were drunk and leaning on each other as they laughed at the faces of the two boys who thought Feuilly would be an easy target to bully. When they made a move to attack the boy, Bahorel, Mont, and R got there first. It was worth the lecture from Enjolras and the black eyes. And Feuilly’s wicked grin as he finally was allow to punch one of the assholes in the stomach. Even Mont was impressed.   
\---------  
Jehan obsessed over Mont. It was getting on Jolys nerves so he finally walked up after a practice and asked the lanky boy what his major was. No one believed him at first but Mont just shrugged, "What? I like elegant things. Fashion is elegant."  
After he left Feuilly turned to Jehan, "well he's into fashion Jehan, what a shame," he drawled. Jehan moaned and dropped his head on the table. Grantaire laughed and rubbed his back. Feuilly grinned at him, "at least you know he's gay."  
\--------------------  
"Are you sure you're not a werewolf?"Grantaire slurred over his drink and Bahorel just laughed.   
"Get some sleep R, Enjolras is going to be pissed you got this drunk."  
"Enjy can go fuck himself."  
"You're just saying that because he won't fuck you," Feuilly quipped from R's other side. Grantaire glared at him.  
\-----------------------  
It took three months for Bahorel and Feuilly to become so comfortable with each other they scared the rest of the team. For two straight guys they acted more like a couple than Jehan and Mont, who still 'weren't together'. It was after Enjolras and R had left, the practice had been a reality tv show with all the unresolved sexual tension and now the team was feed and alone. For a group of young men, they loved gossip more than the old Spanish women on R's street.   
It was Feuilly that started it. He stiffened up and held his head high, mimicking Enjolras he started into a clever little speech about giving it all when you make a commitment to the team and yourself. Bahorel pretended to hang on his every word and then gave a silly argument to counter Feuilly.   
They ended by declaring passionate love for each other. Joly's head hit the floor as he fell from his chair with laughter. His stunned expression only fueled the rest of the tables laughter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning Practice

Saturday practice sucked ass. Grantaire hated having to drag himself out of bed at the god awful hour of 8 with a hangover from the night before. What possessed Valjean to schedule practice this early? Must have been their perfect team captain’s idea. He took everything so seriously. 

“Shut the fuck up!” Courf yelled from into his pillows.

“I’m not saying anything, that’s your alarm clock dumbass.” Grantaire didn’t even bother to change out of last night's clothes as he grabbed his bag and headed out. He pushed Courf out of his bed before he left.

Courf caught up with him in a minute, out of breath and cramming a powerbar into his mouth as he fumbled with his phone. 

“We’re on time, don’t panic.” Grantaire had made sure to set the clocks in the room to five minutes past the actual time. Courf relaxed and they fell into an easy pace on the walk across campus. Neither of them talked much in the mornings, which suited both of them perfectly.

They weren’t the first to arrive in the locker room. Enjolras was taking the time to stretch after having changed. He nodded at the two as they slumped on the benches. Courf dozed off as Grantaire changed into his suit, regretting that didn’t remember to bring any food. His stomach echoed through the silent locker room. It was going to be a long two hours.   
A Cliff bar hit Grantaire in the back of the head. He turned, surprised at the sudden gift. “Don’t pout, your ridiculous hair softened the blow,” Enjolras commented over his shoulder as he headed out to the pool.

“I think he might have finally noticed you, R.” Courf didn’t even open his eyes but he was grinning. “Maybe you’ll get to sleep with him after all.”  
Joly entered the locker room to find a disgruntled Grantaire storming off to the deck and a laughing Courf half fallen off a bench.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bad meet

“Why do you let him yell at you like that?” Bahorel handed his friend a water bottle, “You were sick, thats why you were off your game. Jehan wasn’t too hot either, but he doesn’t have an excuse. You do.”

Grantaire just shrugged, “He was right. We lost, and I could have swum harder.” He dried his hair and emerged with an afro and a grin, saying, “Maybe it was the weight of my hair.”

Jehan laughed and ruffled the nest of black curls. “If anyone complains about you just point them out to me!” The sprinter’s dirty blonde hair had fallen over his face and was long enough to brush his shoulders every time he moved his head. Enjolras had been threatening to shave it all off, but stopped when Grantaire pointed out how long Enjolras’s hair was getting. Jehan, overdramatic as always, began referring to the notion of getting a haircut as “going to the guillotine”. 

“Thank you for offering to defend my honor, Jehan, but I don’t think anyone except Enjolras cares, and he already yelled at me.” Grantaire slung an arm around the younger boy and three of them headed off to the locker room to change.  
\---  
“Come on, we’re changing and heading home.” Enjolras pushed a sleeping Courf off the bench he had sprawled over.

“Did you win?” Combeferre asked from behind a book.

Enjolras just sighed, shook his head, and left for the showers.

“I hope he didn’t yell at anyone,” Marius whined. “I don’t want to have to listen to angsty poems from Jehan for the next few days.”

“Don’t worry.” Grantaire and the rest of the relay team had shown up. “He yelled at me.”

Grantaire yanked his bag from under Courf, sending the boy down another set of bleachers. “How mad was he?” Feuilly asked.

“A seven,” Bahorel calculated.“Prepare for a dinner speech.” Marius groaned.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this makes any sense at all

How they had all ended up in the house, most certainly violating the population limit of the space with intoxicated college students, Enjolras would never fully understand. He thought it had been Courf’s idea at first. Grantaire joined in and Marius, the freshman idiot, fell in love with the notion. Enjolras was going to blame Courf. His opinion of “team bonding” wasn’t the actual physical bonding Courf was currently engaged in with a mop of long blonde hair. Enjolras had completely lost control of his team; even Combeferre was grinding on a small dark girl between him and Bahorel. Enjolras had to be the only sober one in the room, and he was not going to let these idiots try and find their own way home. 

Marius appeared next to him.

“Oh my god!” Marius could turn into a 13 year old girl in under .002 seconds. “I just met this perfect girl! She has blonde hair and blue eyes and the sweetest smile.”

Enjolras didn’t even have a chance to respond before Marius spotted Grantaire and waved him over. The dark haired boy nearly tripped over his own face twice in the time it took him to cross the room. He hadn’t been this bad when Enjolras had last spotted him in the crowd. Grantaire reached them and slung an arm around Marius, handing him a half empty bottle of beer. “What’s the fuss! Met a hot chick?”

Marius gushed out and Grantaire laughed, “So did you get a name and number?”

Marius paled. Enjolras rolled his eyes, “You didn’t even get her name, did you?”

“No,” the younger boy moaned in agony. Enjolras was too sober for this. Marius would forget her in the morning but for now he looked like he was going to start to cry. 

Grantaire wasn’t helping matters at all. 

“So you met the girl of your dreams, and didn’t even get her name. You sure you didn’t see a ghost, Romeo?”

“If you had seen her, you would have understood,” Marius was beginning to sound like Jehan when he was feeling moody. “It was like the world was spinning and she was the only thing that was solid and real.”

Enjolras quickly removed the drink from Marius’s hands; he had clearly had enough. Grantaire went to take it in an easy motion but Enjolras slapped his hand and glared at the overgrown boy pouting at him. Really did he need to drink everything? Grantaire was going to be a failure, Enjolras was sure of it. He was incapable of doing anything but sleeping and drinking. It was a waste too, with all his raw talent. But it wasn’t Enjolras’s problem.

Marius was still babbling about the girl to Grantaire, who was smiling at the younger boy like a friend eager to hear all the details. Enjolras knew that most of what he was saying went right through one ear and out the other. Grantaire looked dazed and his eyes were unfocused. He had a sneer to his smile and an angle to his eyebrows that gave Enjolras the feeling he was mocking Marius. Grantaire could be cruel with words, but he tended to jest, though with friends like Marius he always seemed to be quietly mocking them. It was one of his most annoying traits.

“What about you?” The question pulled Enjolras from his thoughts.

“What about me?”

“What's the furthest you’ve been with a woman?” Grantaire repeated slowly as if talking to someone simple or completely wasted.

“Excuse me?” 

“Or a guy? It’s totally cool if you are into that, I’ve even -”

“No, no, no,” Enjolras shook his head. This was always an awkward question. “I’ve made out with a few girls. Nothing more.” He lied. Enjolras had been kissed once in high school by a girl in his French class. It wasn’t his best moment and had never told anyone about it--the only time he had ever been kissed. (Well not counting that AWFUL truth and dare game. He wasn’t a blushing virgin though, porn was...educational) 

“Oh, really?” Grantaire had an ability to read people that scared Enjolras sometimes. “What were their names?”

“That’s not import- JOLY!” Enjolras moved to catch the boy as he nearly avoid a girl’s fist.

“You’re lying!” Grantaire shouted to him as the room turned to watch the fight. Enjolras quickly broke it up, explaining to the girl it must have been a mistake and removing a very confused Joly from the situation. Marius was laughing as Grantaire supported him. Maybe it was time for them to go home.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Practice sucks really, end of story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> by: castopsdeanbottoms

It was official; Enjolras had finally gone off the metaphorical deep end when he demanded that the team meet up twice a day for practice. The grand scheme, of course, was that the boys would have an endurance advantage over the other teams in their division; but that morning, Grantaire didn’t wake up. He didn’t even bother to set an alarm because who in their right mind gets up before the sun?

There he was, sleeping comfortably on his stomach with the sheets twisted around his muscular thighs and the dimples on his bare ass visible to Enjolras from his perch outside the window. Undeterred by his friend’s lack of commitment and having expected to be met with some resistance, Enjolras felt a warm spike of pleasure in his stomach as he lifted a fist and pounded on the glass.

“Wake up!” He shouted, his voice sounding only slightly muffled from inside the room.

Grantaire bolted upright in bed, his curly dark hair matted to one side of his head, blue eyes foggy and bloodshot from only having slept for four hours. He scrubbed a hand over his scruffy face, then yawned loudly over his fearless leader’s incessant knocking.

“Let’s go! We’re going to be late,” Enjolras called to him, readjusting his grip on the drainpipe he was clinging to for dear life.

“I’m not going!” Grantaire made a show of scratching his balls to emphasize his displeasure at being so rudely awakened.

“Oh, yes you are, if I have to pry open this window and drag you all the way to the pool myself.”

“You’ll try, but you will die valiantly,” Grantaire flopped back down onto his cozy mattress and pulled the warm sheets over his naked body.

“I mean it, Grantaire!”

Grantaire simply closed his eyes and allowed the barest hint of a smile to turn up the corners of his lips, as though mocking Enjolras and all of his demands.

“…Grantaire, open the window right now,” Enjolras rapped his knuckles on the glass again, “or I’ll put Eponine in your place for the meet and you can tell everybody that a girl out swam you.”

“No one can out swim me,” Grantaire murmured to himself and settled more comfortably against his pillow.

“You have three seconds,” came the retort from outside. “One—”

Grantaire groaned and pulled the sheets over his head to drown out his friend’s voice.

“Two!” Enjolras shifted his weight against the wall, feeling his stomach drop when Grantaire held up his middle finger. What if Grantaire didn’t come? Nobody else on the team could swim the butterfly as fast and accurate as that sleeping bastard. Still, Enjolras had too much pride to resort to begging pathetically like a dog at the window. His lip curled as he watched his friend turn over, the sheets dipping to expose his strong shoulders. “Three, Grantaire! That’s it, now let’s go!”

“Put your head up somebody else’s ass,” came the reply.

Enjolras couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the guy whose hip he’d been attached to since they met in middle school. He clung to the drainpipe for another thirty seconds while his brain caught up to the reality of the situation. Though his chest burned at the unfairness of it all, he couldn’t very well pry open the window and carry out his earlier threat.

Without another word, he shimmied back down the side of the house and landed gracelessly in the hydrangea bushes, quickly erupting into a sneezing fit as the pollen kicked his allergies into overdrive. Damn Grantaire for giving him such a kick in the ass on the first day of double practice.

Enjolras trudged across the front lawn, stopping only briefly to scoop up his backpack and poly-sci textbook. He quickly decided that, during the normal class hours and regularly scheduled swim practice, Grantaire would be getting the silent treatment; if he even decided to show up, that is.

“Wait!”

Enjolras stopped on a dime and turns to find Grantaire dressed in yesterday’s jeans and a dark blue henley as he clambered swiftly down the drainpipe and jumped off over the bushes with his messenger bag in hand.

“Alright, fearless leader, here I come,” Grantaire rolled his eyes in a comically over-dramatic fashion as he walked quickly to catch up.

Enjolras turned away from him to conceal the growing smile on his face and shook his head as he resumed the trek.

Needless to say, Enjolras would, at the very least, reconsider the silent treatment verdict.

Maybe.

* * *

That afternoon, Grantaire took his sweet time stretching his limbs on the sidelines as the rest of the team started on the first of ten warm-up laps. He turned a deaf ear on the coach’s shrill whistle and bent in half to loosen up his thigh muscles. If Enjolras insisted on making him swim two times a day, then by God, he would milk it for all it was worth.

“Get in the pool,” the coach shouted, and swatted Grantaire’s ass with a flipper. “You’ve already wasted enough time!”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Grantaire sauntered up to the diving platform in his bright blue speedo and watched Enjolras swim up to the wall, flip-turn, and continue on his way. Grantaire waited just long enough for Enjolras to get a safe distance away before he dove in after him, relishing the icy chill as goosebumps popped up all along his flesh. His strong arms cut through the water as he established a sure and steady rhythm — one-two-three-four-breathe; One-two-three-four-breathe. As he approached the opposite wall, Grantaire took a final breath, then flipped over, pushed off the wall, and caught up to his friend in no time.

He watched the bubbles in front of his face as Enjolras kicked his feet.

The other swimmers always teased that the captain went into a trance-like state when he swam; thinking only of victory and hearing nothing but the pounding of his own blood in his ears.

Grantaire, of course, found this intense focus to be quite the source of amusement. He reached out, curled a hand around Enjolras’ slim ankle, and tugged hard. He spit out a mouthful of bubbles and laughed, watching Enjolras flail to a near complete stop. The laughter died away quickly, though, when the captain caught his eye and blew bubbles out of his nose like a surly bull about to charge headlong into his chest.

Unable to hold his breath any longer, Grantaire surfaced and spluttered with laughter when Enjolras joined him, those perfect blonde waves matted to his forehead.

“You—”

“The one you asked to come,”

“You.”

“The best flyer you have!”

“You!”

“Enjolras, I’d probably move aside,” Grantaire snickered and swerved away from Combeferre as he made his way up the lane who, in turn, swam right into Enjolras before the captain could move closer and wrap his fingers around Grantaire’s throat.

Combeferre popped up and looked owlishly into Enjolras’ face.

“Captain?”

“Yes,” Enjolras wheezed, clutching at his stomach as he tried to catch his breath.

“Oh,” Com readjusted the goggles on his head and slicked his hair back with a hand.

“Oh? Is that all you have to say?” Enjolras scowled. “Am I the only one who takes this practice seriously?”

“I left my prescription goggles at home; it won’t happen again!” Com actually saluted. Grantaire burst out laughing again as Enjolras dragged himself up the ladder and out of the water looking like a half-drowned cat.

“It better not!”

Grantaire couldn’t help but smile; sometimes, Enjolras needed to loosen up and if he put himself to task, Grantaire was certain he could do it with a little help from his good friends Jose Cuervo and Captain Morgan.


End file.
